Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities Launches Hartford Chapter, Featuring Dr. Joan Nicoll-Senft, Special Education Expert, on “When Smart Kids Struggle to Learn"
Westport, CT (PRWEB) October 17, 2015 -- Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc., a national non-profit organization, will kick-off its new Hartford Chapter, featuring an Open House celebration and an educational program for parents. The event will be held at 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, October 27, 2015, at the NEAT Center at Oak Hill, 33 Coventry Street, Hartford. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge for attendance.
According to Jane Ross, Executive Director of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. (SKLD), the event is the first of a series of educational programs, targeted for the Hartford area.
“Our intent is to provide guidance and support to parents of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder (ADHD),” she said. “Though our outreach extends across the country, we felt our next new chapter should be closer to home. Hartford was a region where we believe we have enough support among the professional community and an urgent need among parents to get as much help and understanding as possible so they can better deal with their children’s challenges.”
The event will feature Dr. Joan Nicoll-Senft, special education expert, as guest speaker. She will talk about “When Smart Kids Struggle to Learn,” including:
• What parents need to know about the range of learning disabilities (LD) and about ADHD, that often coincides with LD;
• What basic information is needed for an evaluation of these difficulties and what steps parents can take to help their child;
• Clues for how to differentiate early warning signs of LD, such as dyslexia which may include difficulty sounding out words, spelling, remembering the order of the days of the week;
• Signs for other LD issues that may not be so readily apparent, such as when a child is able to read and memorize with ease but appears clueless about making friends or adapting to change.
Dr. Joan Nicoll-Senft is Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education and Interventions at Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut. She has over 30 years of teaching, training and consulting experience in the field. She has presented at numerous national, statewide and regional conferences, educational summits and annual consortiums.
She is widely published in educational journals. She is a member of the Council of Exceptional Children, a member and former vice president of The Connecticut Coalition for Inclusive Education. She is a founding member of The New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education, among her many honors.
Dr. Joan Nicoll-Senft is also a parent of four children, one with an identified disability. Two have attended Hartford schools.
Jane Ross, Founder and Executive Director of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, will also be at the non-profit’s Open House in Hartford to talk with parents and answer any questions.
“We are very excited about launching this new Hartford chapter, featuring Dr. Joan Nicoll-Senft as our guest speaker” she said. “She cares deeply about children and schools, both as a parent and as a special education professional. We feel very fortunate that she is willing to share this evening with us.”
Betty Granata, Chapter Development Manager for SKLD’s national outreach, will also be present to talk with parents and answer any questions.
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc.
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. is a Westport-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the parents of children with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorders (ADHD) via its educational programs, award-winning website and blog, and free e-newsletter at http://www.SmartKidswithLD.org. The organization also educates the public about these children’s gifts and talents. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is an Honorary Board member and Henry Winkler, Golden Globe award-winning actor, director and author, serves as the organization’s Honorary Chairman.
For more information, visit http://www.SmartKidswithLD.org.
Jane Ross, Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, +1 (203) 226-6831, [email protected]
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